Community Navigation Specialist (Bilingual English/Spanish)

AGENCY OVERVIEW:

Special Kids Connect is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization founded in 2007 whose mission is to develop resources, raise awareness, and provide support for children and adults with disabilities and their families in Monterey County. Its vision is that all individuals and families with special needs are informed and empowered to access and utilize the resources available to them and that they are not only included but are warmly welcomed into their communities. Special Kids Connect does this through three areas of focus:

Community Navigation – Special Kids Connect receives funding from the California Department of Developmental Services to provide training, information, and 1:1 support to assist Monterey County families who have members with developmental delays and/or disabilities (ages 0 through end of life) with community service navigation, application assistance, coaching, advocacy training, and peer-to-peer support.

Family Empowerment Center – Special Kids Connect receives funding from the California Department of Education as Monterey County’s Family Empowerment Center, providing training and information to families of children and young adults with disabilities, between the ages of 3 and 22, to assist in their understanding and utilization of educational supports and services.

Community Programs – Special Kids Connect actively pursues and receives funding through community / foundation grants, private donations, and corporate sponsorships to provide a wide range of programs and services to meet the everchanging needs of Monterey County’s special needs community. These include Special Kids Connect’s REACH recreational programs, SibStar sibling workshops, Youth Volunteer League, STAR Toy Library, and Outreach Events & Special Projects.

PRIMARY FUNCTION:

Under the direction of the Community Services Director or a designee of the Executive Director, the Community Navigation Specialist will support Special Kids Connect’s Community Navigation focus area by providing system navigation support to families of individuals with disabilities in the community, empowering them to become self-advocates for services and supports from the regional center, their school district, county and state social service agencies, and local community-based organizations.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

SKC’s Community Navigation Specialist position is an integral part of the Special Kids Connect team. Often a first point of contact with a family, Special Kids Connect’s Community Navigation Specialist must be an individual with a high degree of professionalism and an equally high degree of empathy and compassion for the struggles faced by families of individuals with disabilities.

This job requires travel between the company’s Salinas office, North County, South County, and Monterey Peninsula satellite locations, along with travel to support workshops and SKC programs taking place at other Monterey County locations, as needed. Travel to the neighboring counties of Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Santa Clara may be possible (less than 5% of time).

Additional responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

1. Professionally managing incoming calls from families, professionals, and other agencies to caringly connect them with the resource(s) they seek

2. Collaborating with the regional center, schools, social service agencies and community-based organizations to identify opportunities and develop innovative solutions for effectively supporting families

3. Developing workshop curriculum for parents/family members/professionals and supporting tools/collateral/resource packets for attendees

4. Providing wrap around support and care coordination to families with individuals who have special needs with the goal of empowering self-advocacy

5. Hosting and/or presenting workshops/trainings in person or virtually (via Zoom)

6. Identifying families’ needs and developing innovative solutions to meeting those needs (e.g. establishing parent support groups)

7. Providing translation support for Spanish-speaking families

8. Supporting the translation of documents / marketing materials and other print collateral from English to Spanish and vice versa

9. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date records in accordance with Special Kids Connect’s client management system

10. Maintaining a high level of confidentiality with regard to client information

11. Preparing, amending and providing Spanish translation of written correspondence, policies and other materials as necessary

12. Support special projects as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma or higher
• Bilingual and biliterate in both Spanish and English, demonstrating proficiency in spelling and grammar for both languages
• Lived experience in the developmental services system as a self-advocate and/or a family member OR 3 or more years of professional experience as a trusted community leader with knowledge of the regional center system and services from generic agencies.
• Successful completion of pre-employment background checks
• Strong customer service and communication skills, both verbal and written, organizational skills, both analytical and problem solving, and the ability to recognize and work with confidential information
• Ability to manage requests/needs of multiple families and work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and achieve deadlines under pressure
• Ability and means to travel on a flexible schedule as needed (Proof of liability and property damage insurance on vehicle used is required.)
• Proficiency in MS Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Drive with a willingness to learn additional programs, as needed
• A detail-oriented, positive attitude conducive to working effectively as a team member
• Familiarity with the internet, cloud sharing, and social media

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Parent or caregiver of an individual with developmental delays, health care needs or disabilities
• System navigation knowledge in one or more of the following: regional center services, special education, healthcare, social service support
• Workshop presentation experience
• Nonprofit sector experience
• Experience with Salesforce
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite

COMPENSATION:

• Compensation based upon education and experience
• Special Kids Connect's employees are invited to participate in CalSavers, California's retirement savings program

A PDF of the entire job description is available on www.specialkidsconnect.org.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $25.00 - $27.00 per hour

Expected hours: 20 – 30 per week

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift
• Evening shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Application Question(s):

• Are you willing to complete an employment application for Special Kids Connect prior to an interview?

Language:

• both English and Spanish with fluency (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Salinas, CA 93901 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Salinas, CA 93901: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $25 - $27